"We prepare students to engage in the world that is and to help bring about a world that ought to be."
Friends Attends Young Men of Color Symposium
This April, three Middle School students honed valuable leadership skills at the 2014 Young Men of Color Symposium: “Capturing Our Passion; Strengthening Our Voice."
This April, three Middle School students honed valuable leadership skills at the 2014 Young Men of Color Symposium, “Capturing Our Passion; Strengthening Our Voice,” at Riverdale Country School.
The symposium is a leadership conference for young men of color in grades 6-12 at independent schools in the NYC area. The day featured workshops and opportunities for participants to learn skills geared towards self-advocacy and academic achievement. Keynote speaker Dr. Howard Stevenson framed the day with workable strategies to recast racial stress and microaggressions—common experiences for students of color in independent schools. The goal of the event is to create a collaborative community of schools serving young men of color. Writing instructor Jason Craige Harris and Director of Diversity Cynthia Chalker organized the Friends delegation.
“In the spirit of camaraderie, students imagined ways to embody moral courage daily and to create for themselves communities rooted in compassion and social justice. They return to their schools having their voices strengthened and their visions expanded,” said Jason.
Friends Seminary was also represented in the workshop lineup. Alumnus Naledi Semela `06 co-facilitated a workshop with Pervis Taylor III called “Leading the Way: Emotionally Resilient Leadership,” which taught participants how to process emotions while providing effective leadership.
Sponsors included RIISE member schools Horace Mann and Riverdale Country School.
Friends Seminary actively promotes diversity, equity, inclusion, and anti-racism in all its programs and operations, including admissions, financial aid, hiring, and all facets of the educational experience. To form a community which strives to reflect the world’s diversity, we do not discriminate on the basis of race or color, religion, nationality, ethnicity, economic background, physical ability, sex, gender identity or expression, or sexual orientation. Friends Seminary is an equal opportunity employer.
Friends Seminary — the oldest continuously operated, coeducational school in NYC — serves college-bound day students in Kindergarten-Grade 12.
